Consumers Trust Independent Shops Over Dealerships for Repairs: Study
According to a recent survey conducted online, car owners trust independent repair shops over dealerships for auto repairs by a margin of two to one.
The main reasons for preferring an independent repair shop over the dealership are better prices and mechanic relationships, with 80 percent of those surveyed stating that they felt they were overcharged for service at a dealership. Over 90 percent of the participants believed they could save at least 10 percent by visiting an independent repair shop. This wasn’t all perception either, as 87 percent reported that independent shop quotes were actually more affordable than dealer quotes.
The survey was conducted online by AutoMD with over 3,000 car owners responding between November 2 to December 12, 2012. Of those respondents, 67 percent said they trusted an independent repair shop more than a dealership to repair their vehicle.
Despite all this, those that did go to the dealership were mostly satisfied with their experience: 47 percent said they were either satisfied or very satisfied with their experience while 23 percent responded with neutral. The 30 percent that were dissatisfied believed that they were overcharged for the service.
Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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Parts are always cheaper at other shops, especially auto supply stores, and dealers have ridiculous hourly labor charges. Sometimes you'll get a rental car though...
Mercedes Benz of Orlando in Maitland; for example, is more expensive for mounting four new tires AND they still gave it back to me with two of them mounted backwards with the rain groove facing the wrong direction! AAAND they will give it back to you and get all surprised that i actually wanted the TPMS light to be turned off?